The very best email I received today - thank you Julie.
Linda Verchereau Becker
Montpelier, VT
-----Original Message-----
From: vtfiliberti
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 9:04 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VTBIRD] Thanksgiving Reflections
Hi all,
It’s once again the time of year to reflect on all of the things that are
important in life, and knowing we all share the same love and passion, it’s
probably pretty safe to assume that birds made your list too. I found myself
with some quiet time this week for some reflection (time in the kitchen
seems to do that) and my thoughts began popping out in the form of a poem. I’m
sharing these verses with you because, like the birds, each one of you is
also on my list of blessings. In my few short years of birding, I have
learned, and continue to learn, so much from each and every one of you and I’m
truly appreciative of your collective wealth of knowledge. I’ve enjoyed
getting to meet and bird with so many of you, putting friendly faces with
the plethora of names I see in my inbox. For those that I have yet to meet,
I look forward to a future day when I will have the pleasure to do so. This
poem is for all of you and the little community we all share. Wishing you
all a warm and Happy Thanksgiving!
Julie
in Fairfax
A Birders Ode
Gather round my little treasures, feathered gems gleaming in the sky.
We birders cherish each of you and aspire to tell you why.
For each of you, and all your kin, from places far and wide,
Are our relaxation, our “raison d’etre”, our passion, and our pride.
Your countenance, it thrills us, sheer brilliance to behold,
Fanciful feathering donning rubies, indigos, and golds.
Decked and dapper, precisely preened, iridescent in the sun,
You serve as candy to our eyes, handsomeness never quite outdone.
You grace us with your music, melodic food for our weary souls.
Each song a welcome harmony that succeeds to make us whole.
We marvel at your multitudes, find fancy in your legions.
We scan the skies to watch you gather and move us through the seasons.
When autumn comes and you head south, you leave us in despair.
We plan vacations to follow your path with hopes to find you there.
And in the spring, when you return, our blues subside and melt,
And our smiles broaden with each new find – true jubilance is felt.
You fill us all with wonder, raise questions in our minds,
You amaze us, yet confound us, and surprise us all the time.
We awe at your existence despite the grave dangers you face,
Making your majestic migrations or just moving from place to place.
We see you soar at such great heights, playful in currents that you love,
And we dream to be graceful birds like you, gazing down from high above.
We live to count you, and to list you, and to look you up in books.
We patiently wait for hours and days just to get “great looks”.
Whether you’re familiar at the feeder, or strange and out of range,
We’re at peace to just behold you, a love that will never change.
We call ourselves “birders” and “birding” is what we do,
But you are the root of the word and the love, and it’s you we’re indebted
to.=